Doc Antle and China York present “Bhajan and Mantra,” a spotted
and a melanistic leopard. These animals ambassadors help to
demonstrate the color variations that historically occurred in the
tiger, particularly the black tigers which existed in the not too
distant past.
Robert Johnson feeds Bhuva the standard bengal
tiger cub while hosting “The Tale of the Tiger.”
he Rare Species Fund and T.I.G.E.R.S. have been performing
“The Tale of the
Tiger”, a live educational and conservation based wildlife
show, at the King
Richard’s Renaissance Faire near Boston, MA for the past
twenty seven years. This “up-close, un-caged” performance has brought the
message about the importance of global biodiversity to literally millions of people.
The unique interactive style between animals and handlers engages the audience’s
attention and allows them to remember and take home those important conservation messages. “The Tale of the Tiger” has not
only been establishing a personal connection
between it’s audiences and wildlife for nearly
three decades, funding generated by the show
goes directly to help various in-situ conservation
projects around the globe.
Raksha the royal white tiger grew up performing on the
“Tigers Stage.” She was so comfortable around live audiences
that during live performances in 1995 she nursed her new
born cubs on stage in front of thousands of onlookers.
Moksha Bybee and China York pose with Amar
the snow white tiger during a publicity photo shoot
for this year’s fair. King Richard’s Faire is located in
Carver, MA and starts Labor Day
each year, running for eight
consecutive
weekends.
“The Tale of the Tiger” has been able to
introduce wildlife and the concepts of
conservation to tens of thousands of
people who do not visit zoos and
who have minimal, if any, personal
connection to the natural world.
The Rare Species
Fund wildlife
menagerie follows
the long held tradition
of bringing exotic
animals from around
the world to the
masses. Menageries
have been around
starting in the eighth
century, when
emperor Charlemagne
housed big cats,
elephants, exotic birds
and monkeys. There is also a long list of exotic
animals kept by United States presidents in the
White House, from bears to otters, even a pigmy
hippopotamus. Today in the U.S. more people visit
menageries than all professional sporting events
combined. One thing that really leaves an
impression on people is an animal outside of
its cage, interacting with its trainers in a loving way.
Hercules the Liger stretches
up to nearly 12 ft tall during
the grand finale. Weighing
in at more than 900 lbs,
the enormous gentle giant
was featured in the
Guinness Book of World
Records.
Dr. Antle shares a moment
on stage with Shiva the royal white tiger, one of the regular stars
of the show. The RSF has been performing “The Tale of the Tiger”
for two months every fall since 1983.
Chris Heiden, one of
the senior trainers, gives
Brahman the golden
tabby tiger a “shot” of milk
during a performance. This
demonstrates not only the
tigers continued affinity for
milk, but also shows that a
baby bottle is a useful tool
in providing a reward.
Fact: The first exotic
animal on display in
the U.S. was an
African lion in
Boston, circa
1716.